Method of ironing garments



April H. M. RUMBAUGH 7 2,280,720

METHOD OF IRONING GARMENTS Original Filed July 18, 1940 5 FIG-.1. 1 16.2.

INVENTOR Patented Apr. 21, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to a new and improved method of ironing garments and more particularly to a method of ironing on ironing machines of the rotary roll, power operated type, which are especially suitable for domestic use. More especially, the present invention is directed to a novel method of ironing on machines of the character illustrated in my pending application for patent Serial No. 348,119, filed July 18, 19.40. The present application is a division of my said application.

While my method of ironing contemplates ironing garments having sleeves, it is particularly directed to a method of ironing a mans shirt and that method will be especially described herein.

It is well known that in ironing a mans shirt on ironing machines under the methods hereto followed, many difflculties were encountered. All prior methods required substantial skill, which was acquired only as the result of considerable effort and practice, and much time and labor were necessarily spent to accomplish the ironing. Even after the shirt was ironed, usually partly on the machine and partly by hand ironing, the results were not satisfactory.

It is also well known that prospective purchasers could not be easily and conveniently taught a simple method for ironing a shirt. Some organizations merchandising machines of the general type have employed especially skilled persons for making demonstrations of the various essential steps for performing an ironing operation on a shirt. However, it has been found that, after having observed skilled demonstrators perform, that purchasers had considerable difiiculty in following the proposed procedure of the demonstrator and, further, that even though the steps attempted to be taught were followed, saving in time, labor and results over the old hand method of ironing would not be attained.

One of the prime objects of this invention is to provide a novel method of ironing various articles of apparel and particularly a novel method of ironing a mans shirt in a simple and expeditious manner requiring a minimum amount of practice on the part of the operator in following my method.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a'n'ew method including the step of ironing a sleeve of a shirt wherein the sleeve is supported on the interior thereof by a resilient or padded surface, and the exterior surface of the sleeve is engageable by a heated surface.

A still further object is to provide a method comprising, in sequence, telescoping one-sleeve of iii Cal

the shirt over a padded surface of a roll for resiliently supporting an area of the sleeve as it is being ironed, and afterwards telescopingly positioning the other sleeve over the samesurface and performing an ironing operation thereon.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates an ironing machine of the character fully illustrated, described and claimed in my application Serial No. 346,119:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view;

Fig. 2, an end elevation thereof; and

Figs. 3, 4 and 5, diagrammatic views showing a mans shirt arranged on the machine showing different positions of the shirt and portions thereof as positioned during different operations or steps performed in the practice of my method of ironing.

As illustrated the ironing machine embodies a table I having a top 2, adapted to support the ironer proper. As shown, 3 designates an electrically operated motor having drive connections, portions of which extend into and are enclosed by a housing 4.

A padded, cylindrical ironing roll 5, of relatively small diameter, extends in the generally horizontal direction in substantially parallel spaced relation to the table 2. This roll is supported from one end only by a suitable connection with the-housing 4. Due to this construction, the other end of the roll is free and unsupported, and facilitates the performance of various ironing operations on articles of wearing apparel and the like. The roll is rotatively supported by the housing 4 and includes suitable connections with the power operated driving mechanism enclosed within the housing.

Mounted rearwardly of the roll is a shoe 6, having its working face shaped to conform to the curvature or contour of the periphery of the roll 5. This shoe is adjustably and movably supported on a bracket I, and is adapted for movement into and out of cooperative position with the roll. This shoe maybe either electrically energized, gas or steam heated and may be mounted in association with controlling devices for either manual, independent actuation, or in association with power operated driving mechanism, driven by the motor, for automatically moving the shoe. into and out of cooperative relationship with the roll.

I The driving connections between the motor 3 and the roll 5 include a reduction gear case 8, adapted for receiving any suitable gear reduction mechanism operable in connection with the motor shaft. As the driving connections between the motor 3 and the roll are clearly shown and described. in my aforesaid applies. tion, it is deemed unnecessary to fully illustrate and describe these connections the present ap= piicaticn. The means, as shown, for moving the bracket 5 and the shoe ii towards and away from the roll include a horizontal extending rotatable or partially rotatable shaft 26 having attached to an end thereof an operating arm 22 having a handle The opposite end of the shaft is connected with a bifurcated end 25 of the brooket "i. it designates a screw for tightening the end of the bracket on the actuating shaft. it is also deemed unnecessary in this application to illustrate and describe the electric circuit from the motor effective for driving and stopping roll, except to point out that P designates a push and pull rod for cooperation with a switch (not shown) to make and break the circuit from the mOl'lOI. ring the function of operating a switch to break the motor circuit, may be utilized for disengaging a clutch of the drive mechanism, under which conditions the motor will continue to operate irrespective of the position of adjustment of the rod P.

In carrying out my method of ironing a mans shirt, for example, the shirt is very conveniently applied to the ironer in position for ironing, by inserting the left arm of the operator through the shoulder opening of the left sleeve of the shirt, then pulling left sleeve ofi of the operator's arm onto the roll and draw the left sleeve over roll and down over the housing or post until the right sleeve of the shirt is drawnover the roll with the seam of its cuff extended a, slight distance over the open end of the roll. This operation will dispose the left sleeve around the housing with the yoke, shoulder, and body portions bunched around the housing in the manner particularly shown by Fig. 3, and position the right sleeve on the roll.

With the shirt thus applied the right sleeve is telescoped over and positioned on the padded rotatable roll for resiliently supporting an area. thereof, an area of the inner surface, and permitting an unsupported or outer surface area to be contacted by a heated surface, for instance. the heated surface of an ironing shoe. The heating surface is adapted to simultaneously apply pressure against the outside surface of the sleeve during movement of the sleeve with the rotatable roll.

The roll with the right-hand sleeve thereon is then positioned so that the button hole edge of the placket, asindicated at A in Fig. 3, is in position to be engaged by the shoe when the latter is moved into co-operative relation with the roll so as to iron substantially one half of the peripheral extent of the sleeve, or substantially to the under-arm seam. -Then the roll with the sleeve thereon is turned back toward the operator, removing bulges of excess material produced in the unironed portion of the sleeve as a result of the performance of the above mentioned ironing operation, and the remaining peripheral portion of the sleeve is then ironed, commencing with the under-arm seam and continuing up to the button edge of the placket as indicated at B in Fig. 3. l

The next step is to shift the ironed portion of the sleeve a short distance of! the end of the The push-pull rod R in addition to-servroll so as to dispose the shoulder portion adjacent said sleeve on the,roll in position to be ironed, see Fig. 4. Then iron the shoulder porcheeses tion, and portions of the front and back of the shirt. Then the right-hand sleeve and the body of the shirt is slipped along the roll so that the entire yoke, shoulder to shoulder, is positioned, as shown by Fig. 5, to be contacted by the shoe for performing an ironing operation thereon. Then readjust the shirt to dispose the left-hand shoulder portion of the shirt'upon the roll and perform an ironing operation thereon, as above described; and then shift the body ofthe shirt off the roll to dispose the left-hand sleeve in telescoping relation on the roll for mriorming an ironing operation thereon in the same manner as described in connection with the right-hand sleeve. Remove the shirt from the machine and iron the back, sides, and front, together with the ends and collar in a conventional manner in any desired sequence as flat work.

Assuming that the shirt has been applied to the ironer as above described and as shown by Fig. 3, a somewhat modified procedure or method may be followed, thus- The roll with the right-hand sleeve thereon is then positioned so that the sleeve seam or seams are on top of the roll. This portion is then in position to be engaged by the shoe when the latter is moved into operative relation with the roll. In this position, iron sleeve around, keeping smooth, until the shoe contacts placket slit, thus ironing substantially one-half of the peripheral extent of the sleeve. Stop roll, open shoe and arrange placket so that shoe closes on placket, after which, the unironed portion of the sleeve is ironed. It will be understood that the ironing operations up to this point completes the entire right sleeve with the exception of the cuff.

,After the ironing. of the right/sleeve, as above described, the next step is to shift the ironed portion of the sleeve a. short distance off the end of the roll so as to dispose the shoulder portion adjacent said sleeve on the roll in position to be ironed, or into the position shown by Fig. 4. This figure shows a part of the yoke portion extending to the neckband of the shirt, with an edge of the neckband placed even with the righthand side of roll, with the double thickness of yoke positioned so that the shoe will close down on one half of the double thickness; It will be noted that thus positioning the said sleeve and yoke that a shoulder portion will be disposed in position to be ironed. This shoulder or yoke portion is then ironed around to approximately the second button from the collar of the shirt, after which the shoe is opened and the shirt rearranged by positioning the entire shoulder back on the rollwith the doubled thickness of the yoke under shoe.

It is preferable to then close the shoe and allow a few seconds to dry the yoke, after which the shoe is opened and the shirt is shifted towards the left-hand end of roll so as to position the neckband seam adjacent the left or free end of the roll and pull a portion of the left sleeve from the housing onto the roll. Substantially the same operations in ironing the left sleeve, as those followed in ironing the right sleeve, are followed, except, that the sequence is reversed. That is to say, the yoke and shoulder portions are ironed first and then the sleeve proper except its cufl. After these ironing operations or steps are performed, the shirt is removed from the machine and the various parts of the back, sides,

and front, together with the cuffs and collar may be ironed in a conventional manner desired sequence as fiat work.

However, I find it very advantageous in ironing the remaining unironed portions to proceed as follows:

First iron the cuffs; this'is accomplished by placing a cuif on the free end of the roll and in any ironing on wrong side and then on right side.

Then iron other cufi in same manner.

After ironing the cuffs position collar seam at left-hand of roll, with buttons of shirt running across the roll horizontally. In this position iron around to sleeve seam. Then position unironed tail portion, starting from button side, and.

. body of the shirt thereon, with the left sleeve retion inside of front pleat with collar side on open end, iron to sleeve seam, stop, and position unironed tail portion and iron to under-arm body seam. Remove shirt from roll and position the right side of pleat towards shoe and iron to sleeve seam; then position the tail portion at pleat and iron across to under-arm body seam. Next lay collar flat on roll and iron firstthe outside and then the inside of the collar.

It will be notedthat a novel and characteristic feature of my improved method of ironing a mans shirt resides in ironing a sleeve thereof, while it is telescoped over the padded roll, and while the interior of the sleeve is supported by the resilient surface of the roll and further, while an unsupported area'of the sleeve is engaged by the heated surface of the ironing shoe.

I claim:

1. The method of ironing a mans shirt on an ironing machine of the type including a shoe, an open end roll, and a housing enclosing power drive connections to and providing total support for said roll at the other end thereof, comprising, in sequence, the following steps: first, drawing one sleeve telescopically over the roll and housing, and bunching and gathering said sleeve together with the body of the shirt around the housing, with the other sleeve surrounding said roll in telescopic,relation,. then performing an ironing operation on said other sleeve; then shifting the last mentioned sleeve along the roll to dispose portions of the body of the shirt thereon, with the first mentioned sleeve remaining telescoped and gathered over said housing, then ironing said portions of said shirt body; and then shifting said body of the shirt off the roll to dis pose the first mentioned sleeve therearound and performing an ironing operation thereon.

2. The method of ironing a man's shirt on an ironing machine of the type including a shoe, an open end roll, and a housing enclosing power drive connections to and providing total support for said roll at the other end thereof, comprising, in sequence, the following steps: first, drawing one sleeve telescopically over the roll and housing, and bunching and gathering said sleeve together with the body of the shirt around the housing, with the other sleeve surrounding said roll in telescopic relation, then performing an ironing operation on said other sleeve; then shifting the last mentioned sleeve along the roll to. dispose portions of the body of the shirt thereon, with the first mentioned sleeve remaining telescoped and gathered over said housing,

then ironing the shoulder portion adjacent said ironed sleeve, then ironing the yoke portion of the shirt, then ironing the other shoulder portion, and then shifting the body of the shirt off the roll to dispose the first mentioned sleeve therearound and performing an ironing operation thereon.

3. The method of ironing a mans shirt on an I ironing machine of the type including a shoe, an open end roll, and a housing enclosing power drive connections to and providing total support for said roll at the other end thereof, comprising, in sequence, the following steps: first,'

drawing the left sleeve telescopically over the roll and housing, and bunching and gathering said sleeve together with the body of the shirt around the housing, with the right sleeve surrounding said roll in telescopic relation and then performing an ironing operation thereon; then shifting the right sleeve off the roll and disposing the maining telescoped and gathered over said housing, and ironing certain portions of said shirt body; and then shifting said body of the shirt off the roll to dispose the left sleeve therearound and performing an ironing operation thereon.

4. The method of ironing a mans shirt on an ironing machine of the type including a shoe, an open end roll, and a housing enclosing power drive connections to and providing total support for said roll at the other end thereof, comprising, in sequence, the following steps: first, telescoping the operators forearm through the left sleeve from the shoulder end and threading said sleeve telescopically over the roll and housing, and bunching and gathering said left sleeve together with the body of the shirt around the housing, with the right sleeve telescoped over the roll, and then performing an ironing operation on said right sleeve; then shifting said right sleeve towards the open end of the roll to dispose a portion of the body of the shirt thereon, with the left sleeve remaining telescoped and gath-- ered over said housing, and ironing certain portionsof the body of the shirt; and then shifting said body of the shirt off the roll to dispose the left sleeve therearound and performing an iron.-

ing operation thereon.

5. The method of ironing a mans shirt on an ironing machine of the type including a shoe, a roll having a distal end, and a support for said roll at the other end thereof, comprising, in sequence, the following steps: first, telescoping the operator's forearm through the left sleeve from the shoulder end and threading said sleeve telescopically over the roll and housing, and bunching and gathering said left sleeve together with the body of the shirt around the housing, with the right sleeve telescoped overthe roll, and then performing an ironing operation on said right sleeve; then shifting said right sleeve towards open end of roll to dispose a portion of the body were mid mew, lemme end eethewlnec selol sleeve and the leeel'y m? the shirt end then drew me fine other sleeve telescopically over said means, and then Withdrawing the sleeves mad may M the shire from said means in stages in reverse order and direction m that of their epconeistlng in drawing one sleeve telescopically meeme pllcetion to said means, to present successive pet tions of the shirt for ironing at e common posltion, and m ironing the said, portions on the unsupported sides thereof and at the said post- 5 Mon during the respective stages of withdrawal,

HUGH M. RUMBAUGH. 

